Wordless Wednesday Household Befores & Afters

Bathroom Reno Revealed

I know you're probably all wondering about the Downstairs Bathroom Reno Pics that I promised you. Well here they are; was waiting for the mirror glass to arrive.

The first two pics are how the bathroom looked before. As you can see it was only a half bath with with the washer & dryer sharing the space.

 And here are the after pics. 

Let me give you a rundown about all that happened here. First we removed old washer & dryer and sold them so we could purchase a stacking washer/dryer unit for our utility room. And then removed pretty much everything else.
To cut costs we kept the original cabinet & just painted it & purchased new hardware for it.

An old picture frame we had kicking around was turned into a mirror by just purchasing a piece of mirrored glass. A few Ikea finds such as the light fixture above the vanity, the sink & the faucet were relatively inexpensive purchases.

 Toilet & tub & new window were purchased on sale. The wood looking wall & ceiling were made of an inexpensive but high grade of plywood & then stained. Shelving was created by using leftover plywood & re-using some of the laminate that was above the old washer & dryer. We kind a splurged a bit on the counter top & on the flooring but hey sometimes you just gotta splurge on something. What I love about the new counter most is that hubby moved the vanity over & extended the counter to create more surface as well as an open shelf below. And another thing he did which you can't actually see, is create a fully functional top drawer instead of a fake one.
Lovin my new space already!

One Beachy Day Adventure

OK so it wasn't exactly a great hair day thanks to the wind but it was a great day to try my first lobster roll ever. And trust me I was being adventurous cause I'm not exactly the adventurous type when it comes to food. Yep I'm thinking lobster rolls can grow on me! Enjoyed this at Musquodoboit Harbour Can you say Musquodoboit? 

Here's a few pics of beach finds minus driftwood ones found while walking on Martinique Beach. Found a bunch of broken sand dollars but then Peter found a complete one YAY and some pretty sea glass too!

Sadly we spotted not one but two dead seals on the beach. Tells me there must be live ones hanging around here. Hopefully next time we'll be spotting some live ones instead. R.I.P. & may you guys go to seal heaven! 

The Rare One That Got Away & Heat Pumps

Ever hear the story about the fish that got away? Well today was one of those days but it was a perfect pic that got away and not a fish!
While hubby and I were puttering around outside, hubby spotted a deer on our front lawn, but by the time we went to check it out, Daddy Deer had ran down the road and disappeared. But then we spotted Mama Deer & Baby Deer by the mailboxes on the roadside. Hubby ran in to get his camera but I scared them away before he could get a pic. They were so close to the road and I was afraid they were gonna run in front of a car that was ripping down the street. It was the coolest thing ever cause they were so close and baby deer was a white one and I have never seen a white deer before! Hubby did manage to get a pic in the distance shortly after, but if I had a camera I could have gotten a super close up pic! Some of the high school kids walking back to school after lunch were calling it an Albino Deer, but I what I learned from the Internet is that it was a rare genetic variation called a piebald deer. 
Have you ever seen a white deer? This one was the cutest thing ever! Hope I'll get to see it again to get a better pic!

Got our heat pump installed last Friday. Seems like these are all the rage here in Nova Scotia. Really didn't hear much about them in Ontario, perhaps cause we had access to natural gas which is a whole lot cheaper way to heat your house. We have no access to natural gas where we are & rely on electric baseboard heaters to heat our home, so hoping this will bring the hydro costs down. Apparently these heat pumps also help to keep your home cool in the summer. If you want to learn more about Heat Pumps my link will give you a bit of info about them.

This is what the Heat Pump looks like on the inside.

And this is a view of the Heat Pump from the outside.

Zumba Inspired & Whole House Reno Continues!

When I left the YMCA in Hamilton Ontario (my gym of many years) just a few short months ago, I was deeply saddened to leave all those behind who had inspired me over the years especially Geth ( my favourite) an 80 + years old calisthenics instructor. While those special folks continue to inspire me, yes even at a distance and they all will forever hold a special place in my heart, I'm thrilled to report I've found some new Inspirees  in places I never would have thought I would ever venture to.
And oddly enough it all kind of happened by circumstance.
Y' all know when I joined my new gym in February, I really didn't like it cause I so badly wanted the familiarity of my old gym back. I missed my friends, my classes, my routine and just plain old familiarity.  I had to force myself to go and I just went through my familiar motions on the elliptical machine & while doing my strength training routine.
But I knew deep down that to feel more comfortable there, I needed to meet folks and I knew this would occur more readily via attending group fitness classes verses flying solo!
So that's where the story begins. I know long story but ya gotta know all the details of how I got here. To make a long story short, tried a bunch of classes that suited my favourite time to exercise which is mornings. Some I liked, some I didn't, some just didn't feel right due to chronic lower back & elbow injuries & issues.
Just so happened that a few Zumba classes were on the morning schedule and although I had never tried Zumba before, thought I would throw caution to the wind and at least make an honest attempt at it.
I've been a front to back/one step in front of the other/ tight-assed/linear  kind of exerciser for a good part of my life so Zumba would definitely be throwing me a Curve Ball or Fireball I might add ( inside joke).
And that it did indeed. I felt awkward & clumsy moving my body in ways it had never moved before.
And ya know what I still do!  But oddly enough I don't care and I the more I go to Zumba, the more I feel I can let loose! And what is even more odd is that I'm a self-conscious perfectionist that does care how I thinks others sees me! I don't like to be in the Limelight & I definitely don't like to be watched or know that someone is watching me.
But getting back to what this story is really all about, is Inspiration found in a place I'd never thought I'd ever be; ZUMBA!   And its all thanks to a couple of  Zumba Instructors who have made it onto my list of Inspirees cause of their enthusiasm, high energy, optimism...  you name it.

ZUMBA  Really Who Would a thunk! Fireball!

On another note Whole House Reno continues! I know I promised you some pics of the half finished basement bath. Couldn't get any while the bath was being used by out of town guests for over a week. Well I decided I'm gonna keep you in suspense awhile longer and will wait to share pics until the room is actually completed. So stay tuned!

But if you wanna see some pics, here's a pic of my basement rec room retro bar before we got rid of it. I know you're gonna say why did you get rid of it. Honestly I don't need a bar to drink wine; trust me I can do that without a bar. But what I do need is a pantry/storage area  to store some grocery/household stuff that I buy a ton of, when the stuff comes on sale!

So while my Bro from Ontario was in town, he & hubby built a pantry where the old bar used to be. Still have plenty of space for the elliptical & weight bench & a sofa for guests. And now I have plenty of storage space too. YAY!

As you can see some wine has already found it's way into my pantry. Told ya I didn't need a bar to drink wine! 

Looking at this pic that hubby photo shopped together, the shelves appear crooked, kind of how it might look if one had a little too much wine that is. Honestly they are as straight as can be!  Can't wait to fill this pantry up! 

Lobster Poutine, Driftwood & Rocks

I confess I have never been a big fan of Seafood! Growing up I didn't eat fish not even fish & chips. Well I did eat chips and plenty of them. Hubby has been trying to convert me and I have to admit seafood is definitely growing on me. And now that I'm living in area where seafood is at it's best, I'm trying to be adventurous & spread my Foodie Wings. Since I've landed in Nova Scotia, I've eaten haddock aka fish & chips, halibut & salmon purchased roadside from a truck selling fresh seafood and lobster poutine! Can't go wrong with anything poutine! 

My first Lobster Poutine! Enjoyed this fabulous meal with hubby darling son & daughter in-law & visiting family, bro & sis in-law! Great Company Great Times & also an excuse to be an absentee blogger! 

While I haven't always been a fan of Seafood, I have been a longtime fan of Driftwood. Love the weathered look of it, the uniqueness of each piece and the feel of the smooth wood grain.

My Driftwood Collection awaiting projects of a Pinteresting Kind!

A pic of some interesting Rock finds. These guys will be making their home in my gardens. Oops just noticed my toes made it into the pic. Note to self; paint toe nails before including them in pics! 

Why buy new when used will do & !st beach walk with Penny L

Had this old picture frame kicking around. Actually found it in the trash several years ago. It's damaged but it will be perfect for my basement bathroom. Gonna leave it as is, except for a few coats of lacquer to prevent it from further deteriorating & gonna add a piece of mirror glass. I know it's easy to just go to the store & buy everything brand new but sometimes a used piece has a bit of character and helps you achieve a look that is unique. And of course, using something you already have saves a bit of cash too! Ya probably have figured it out by now that I'm a fan of the distressed, weathered & worn look! And I love giving an object a new purpose in life!
Right now downstairs bath is being used by visiting Ontarians so downstairs bathroom pics coming soon! Stay tuned!

Why buy new when used will do!

Went for a beachy walk with Penny. Penny L loved digging in the sand & barking at people & dogs. The beach we visited was Lawrencetown Beach which a popular beach for the surfing crowd. Not much of a surfer so didn't do any of that. And besides it was mighty chilly & windy the day we went. Could have, should have put on an extra layer or two!